Chapter 88 Caught Red-Handed

Three days later, Zhang Jianguo appeared at the gate of Kunlun Base again.

This time, he was even more nervous than last time. His palms were sweaty, his back was soaked, and his legs even felt a bit unsteady as he walked. But he tried his best to look normal—greeting the soldier at the gate, taking out his ID, and opening his toolbox for inspection.

"Engineer Zhang, here again today?" the soldier on duty asked with a smile.

"I need to re-examine a few pieces of equipment," Zhang Jianguo said, his voice tight.

The soldier nodded, finished the routine inspection, and let him through.

Zhang Jianguo did not know that from the moment he stepped into the base, a red marker appeared on the screen in the monitoring room. Captain Zhou was watching the screen himself, holding a walkie-talkie.

"Attention all teams, the target has entered. Proceed as planned."

A synchronized "Received" came through the walkie-talkie.

Zhang Jianguo's goal today was clear—go to the data interface next to the control room, export the photos and videos he had secretly taken last time, and save them onto a USB drive to take away.

George's people had said that as long as he got this data, the rest of the money would be transferred to his account, and they would arrange for him and his family to go abroad.

He gritted his teeth and walked toward the control room.

A young soldier was standing at the entrance of the control room. Seeing him approach, the soldier reached out to stop him: "Engineer Zhang, this isn't a maintenance area, is it?"

"Oh, I... I want to check the reactor operation logs from last month. I need to verify some data." Zhang Jianguo said, using the excuse he had prepared in advance.

The soldier hesitated for a moment, then picked up his walkie-talkie to ask. A few seconds later, he nodded: "Go in, but don't take too long."

Zhang Jianguo pushed the door open. The control room was empty. Real-time data flickered on several computer screens, and a huge electronic map hung on the wall.

He walked quickly to the data terminal in the corner, took out the USB drive, and plugged it into the interface.

A dialog box popped up on the screen, requesting a password.

Zhang Jianguo was stunned.

The last time he came, this terminal definitely did not have a password. He nervously tried a few common default passwords, but none were correct.

His palms started to sweat.

He took out his phone, wanting to send a message to George's people, but there was signal shielding here; his phone did not have a single bar of signal.

"Engineer Zhang."

A voice came from behind him.

Zhang Jianguo turned around abruptly. Zhao Gang was standing at the door, followed by four soldiers.

The USB drive was still plugged into the terminal, and the dialog box on the screen was glaringly bright.

"Captain... Captain Zhao..." Zhang Jianguo's voice trembled violently.

Zhao Gang walked over, his gaze landing on the USB drive, then looking at Zhang Jianguo's face.

"Engineer Zhang, what is stored on this USB drive?"

Zhang Jianguo opened his mouth but could not speak.

Zhao Gang nodded to the soldiers behind him. One soldier stepped forward, pulled out the USB drive, and handed it to Zhao Gang.

Zhao Gang pinched the small storage device, looking at Zhang Jianguo, his eyes so calm it was unnerving.

"Take him away."

Zhang Jianguo's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down.

The interrogation room was located underground, the white lights so bright they were blinding.

Zhang Jianguo sat in a chair, his hands handcuffed to the table, head bowed, trembling all over.

Zhao Gang sat opposite him, with Fang Lin next to him—she had arrived at the base three hours after receiving the news.

"Zhang Jianguo," Fang Lin's voice was very calm, "do you know what you were stealing?"

Zhang Jianguo did not speak.

"The core process parameters for Lithium Extraction from Seawater. It is a national strategic technology." Fang Lin continued, "According to the National Security Law, this is serious enough to keep you inside for twenty years."

Zhang Jianguo suddenly raised his head, his eyes full of fear: "Twenty years? I... I just took a few photos..."

"A few photos?" Fang Lin sneered, "Do you know how much loss these few photos would cause the country if they leaked out? If foreign forces get this data, they can replicate our technology and seize the market before us. By then, our efforts of the past few years will have been in vain, and the hard work of thousands of researchers will have gone down the drain—how many years do you think that's worth?"

The color drained completely from Zhang Jianguo's face.

"I... I was forced to do it..." His voice was hoarse, "They gave me money... My son needs to go to college, my wife is in poor health, I..."

"Who gave it to you?" Fang Lin interrupted him.

Zhang Jianguo hesitated for a moment, then, like a bursting dam, poured everything out.

That "Mr. Li" in the teahouse, the twenty thousand deposit, the camera, double the amount after the job was done, and the arrangements to go abroad...

"He said his name was Li Zhiqiang, but I feel like that's a fake name." Zhang Jianguo said, "He left me a phone number and said that once I got the data, I should call that number and someone would come to coordinate."

Fang Lin's eyes sharpened: "What about the phone number?"

"It's in my phone, saved as 'Manager Wang'."

Fang Lin stood up and walked out of the interrogation room. Zhao Gang followed her out.

"Check the number and see if you can track it." Fang Lin said.

Zhao Gang nodded and picked up the walkie-talkie.

Half an hour later, the news came—that phone number had already been deactivated. The last signal appeared in the urban area of Jiayuguan, but when they tracked it down, the person was already gone.

"George ran away." Fang Lin said, gritting her teeth.

Zhao Gang frowned: "How would he know?"

Fang Lin thought for a moment and asked Zhang Jianguo in the interrogation room: "Have you contacted him in the last two days?"

Zhang Jianguo shook his head: "No, he told me to contact him after I got the data."

Fang Lin was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly understood something.

"He never intended to actually coordinate with you." She said, "From the beginning, he was treating you as a disposable pawn. You get the data, he takes it, you get caught, and he disappears. As for the money and the arrangements to go abroad he promised you, they were all empty checks."

Zhang Jianguo was stunned, then slowly lowered his head, his shoulders trembling violently.

It was unclear if he was crying or feeling regret.

Fang Lin walked out of the interrogation room, stood at the end of the corridor, and dialed Lin Mo's number.

"George ran away again."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds, then Lin Mo's voice came through: "Expected."

"Aren't you disappointed?"

"Disappointed about what? If he were so easy to catch, he wouldn't be called George." Lin Mo said, "How is it going with Zhang Jianguo?"

"He confessed, but there isn't any useful information. George is very cautious and didn't leave any trails." Fang Lin sighed, "He got away again this time."

Lin Mo thought for a moment: "Director Fang, I have an idea."

"Speak."

"The fact that George ran so fast means he might still have eyes and ears inside our organization. Not necessarily at the base, but definitely somewhere that has access to operational information—like the public security system in Jiayuguan, or the communications department."

Fang Lin's eyes sharpened: "You mean..."

"We didn't announce Zhang Jianguo's arrest to the public. If George could get the news immediately, it means someone tipped him off." Lin Mo said, "This mole might be more dangerous than Zhang Jianguo."

Fang Lin was silent for a few seconds, then said: "I understand. I will look into this."

Hanging up the phone, Fang Lin turned to look in the direction of the interrogation room.

Zhang Jianguo was still sitting inside, head hanging, shoulders slumped.

This person was already finished.

But the line behind him had just surfaced.

Zhao Gang walked over and handed her a glass of water.

"Director Fang, what should we do next?"

Fang Lin took the glass and took a sip.

"Continue the interrogation. Dig out every detail of his contact with George. The time, location, content of the conversation—even every word George said must be recorded."

Zhao Gang nodded.

"Also," Fang Lin said, "upgrade the base's security again. Re-screen all personnel entering and exiting, including internal employees. We won't be able to sleep peacefully until this mole is dug out."

Zhao Gang stood at attention: "Understood."

Fang Lin looked at him and suddenly asked: "Zhao Gang, how long have you been with Lin Mo?"

Zhao Gang was stunned for a moment: "Almost a year."

"In this year, what do you think of him?"

Zhao Gang thought for a moment and said earnestly: "He is someone worth protecting with my life."

Fang Lin smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Then protect him well. The thing he has in his hands is worth it."

In the distance, the sunset was setting over the Gobi Desert.

In the interrogation room, Zhang Jianguo finally raised his head, looking at the glaring light in front of him.

He knew his life was completely over.

But he knew even better that even if he regretted it now, it was too late.

There are some paths where, once you take the first step, there is no turning back.